Antoinette Sullivan of Appleton uses a computer Monday at the Appleton Public Library to search for an apartment to rent.(Photo: Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin)

The Klinkerts gave up having computers at home in hopes of spending less time staring at screens and more time being out and about. Mission accomplished.

"The library definitely is a community meeting place, not just for people who have meetings there but people who come there to use the facilities for resources like the technology," Jim Klinkert said.

The relevance of a library in the digital age is one of the questions that has often been raised by people skeptical of Appleton's proposed new library — an estimated $30 million mixed-use project that would include adjoining and nearby apartments and condominiums.

But the people using the current facility specifically for technology beg to differ. To them, libraries aren't irrelevant or outdated — it's a way of accessing the present.

"For me, the question of why have technology at the library ... a lot of people could ask why have books at the library?" Joanne Klinkert said. "That’s an age-old question, and some people probably don’t believe that we need it, and we strongly believe it’s a service to the community.

"In this day and age, to have technology available is so necessary," Jim Klinkert said. "People need it and they need access to it."

The Economy's Impact

A 2010 study titled "Opportunity for All: How the American Public Benefits from Internet Access," conducted by the University of Washington Information School, suggests millions of people utilize library tech services for employment, education and health reasons.

Conducted at the tail end of the Great Recession, it found roughly 77 million Americans over the age of 14 used a public library computer or wireless network to access the internet from 2009 to 2010.

Low-income adults are more likely to rely on their public library as their sole access to computers and the internet, the study read. Nationally, 44 percent of people living below the poverty line used computers and the internet at a public library.

Other statistics from the study show 40 percent of library computer users received help with career needs and 75 percent reported they searched online for work including applying online or submitting a resume.

For health research, 37 percent of users logged on for this reason with 82 percent using the internet to learn about a disease, illness or medical condition. One-third of users sought out doctors or health care providers.

For education, 37 percent utilized the service for homework.

Sara Kopesky, Appleton Public Library's electronic services librarian, also remembers the mass use of the library's tech services in that time period, when the recession had many people reeling.

"It was really intense," Kopesky said.

Kopesky said the local Workforce Development office would often refer people to the library, which further made it a resource for those struggling with unemployment.

People spent a lot of time watching movies at the library on top of job searching, Kopesky said.

"Honestly, it was just even a lot of empathizing with people because they were worried," Kopesky said. "We're helping people with job search (now) but it's not the same emotional experience."

Services Today

As technology continued to advance following the financial crisis, Kopesky's role remained an even more integral part of the library's services. She helps maintain the library's website, uses coding for schedules, works with databases and provides one-on-one sessions with patrons trying to learn how to use digital equipment.

Kopesky said she has anywhere from two to eight personal sessions a month with library patrons, and the lessons range from learning how to use an iPad to opening email attachments to teaching people how to use internet browsers.

"Every day, there’s a lot of people on the computers and they’re coming up to the desk for help," Kopesky said.

But the people asking questions aren't always who you might think.

"I think one of the most surprising things to people is there’s an assumption that especially younger people know how to do everything, but generally ... there’s a lot of times kids and teenagers come up here and say I have to write a paper, what do I use to do that?" Kopesky said.

She believes people from all walks of life benefit from the accessibility of tech services being provided through public libraries.

"One of the fallacies I always face is everything’s on the internet and everything’s free," she said.

"The people who are using the computers here, it's because obviously they need to come here to use them, so (we're) offering them access that they may otherwise struggle to have or not have at all."

Digital threat

Appleton resident Tom Roessler has a counterargument on the need for libraries in an increasingly digital world.

Roessler said he's been researching statistics on usage of the Appleton Public Library and libraries across the state and thinks renovating the current library facility would be a better investment for the city instead of the proposed mixed-use facility.

Roessler is also one of the drivers behind the informally named Concerned Appleton Taxpayers, a group that believes renovating the current library facility would be more fiscally responsible than investing in a new library.

He believes that because of how accessible technology is now — in conjunction with the circulation decline of printed materials — libraries are no longer a viable development opportunity. He likens it to the state of brick-and-mortar retail stores.

"The impact on brick-and-mortar stores can be seen at our own mall," Roessler wrote in his study. "Younkers is gone, and if you've been to Sears or (JCPenney), there are few customers."

Roessler compares retail decline to the need for physical library facilities due to e-commerce and readily downloadable materials.

Deb Blank, who also opposes the new library project, agrees the increase in the downloading of digital materials makes increased brick-and-mortar investments unnecessary, libraries included.

Blank said it's important for communities to have a meeting space, but she doesn't view the library as the only place to have such public spaces.

Kopesky, meanwhile, thinks the public library is a resource that has withstood the test of time.

"With every new technological advance, people have questioned the viability of libraries," Kopesky said.

"We give you access to things that you otherwise would have to pay a lot of money for or otherwise not have access to."

Kopesky also emphasizes the library's access to meeting and other quiet spaces at no cost.

"The meeting rooms that we have downstairs ... that free community gathering space, which is obviously needed, is a big thing as well," Kopesky said.

"We're one of the last remaining places that you can have quiet for free without remaining in solitude."

The library had more than 450,000 visits in 2017. Those visitors weren't just looking for books — there were 66,000 computer users, more than 33,000 wireless internet users and a total electronic circulation of more than 97,000.

With digital services, more than 55,000 patrons used eBooks, 39,000 eAudiobooks and 2,000 eVideo.

The proposal before the city calls for building a new downtown library at the site of the existing Soldiers Square parking garage.

The Common Council recently approved a $347,000 contract with developer Commercial Horizons for preliminary engineering and design work, most of which will go toward the proposed mixed-use development site. But finding a comprehensive parking solution to secure public accessibility is priority No. 1 before the project can move forward.

In his proposed 2019 budget, Mayor Tim Hanna included $5 million for the design and site excavation of a new public library as part of a mixed-use development. Should a site be agreed upon and the project moved forward, another $25 million would be needed for library construction in subsequent years.